Best Mate - ruled out of the Gold Cup.

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Kingscliff is the new favourite for the Cheltenham Gold Cup after triple winner Best Mate was ruled out of the race.

Best Mate was set to bid for a fourth successive win in the Grade One event next Friday but trainer Henrietta Knight has confirmed he will not run again this season.

She said on Thursday: "He has broken a blood vessel on the gallops this morning and he will not be running at Cheltenham."

Best Mate was the general 5-2 favourite for the race despite being beaten on his last start at Leopardstown over Christmas but his absence has led to a massive shake-up in the betting.

The Robert Alner-trained Kingscliff is the new favourite at 7-2 with Hills, Ladbrokes, Paddy Power and totesport. He's a top-priced 9-2 with Coral.

Totesport spokesman Damian Walker said: "This is the worst possible news for punters and jump race race fans alike.

"While a win for Best Mate in the totesport Gold Cup would have cost the industry millions, everyone - including bookmakers - still wanted to see him line-up to attempt a historic fourth win.

"This is yet another hammer blow for ante-post punters as it seems every day for the past two weeks one horse or another has been pulled out of a big race."

That view was echoed by his counterparts at the 'big three' of Coral, Hills and Ladbrokes.

"This is a massive blow to punters, many of whom would have made Best Mate their banker of the meeting," confirmed Coral's David Stevens.

"Although we would have liked to see Best Mate line up next Friday, we have been top price about him for most of the season and would have faced a payout of at least £750,000 had he made it four in a row."

Hills' spokesman David Hood said, "It's a crying shame for the connections, punters and genuine racing enthusiasts who would have liked to have seen him win a fourth Gold Cup."

And Balthazar Fabricius of Ladbrokes added: "It's a savage blow for connections, racing fans, punters and bookmakers alike.

"We thought that he'd win a fourth Gold Cup so we've been happy up until now to harbour liabilities about other runners, notably the King George runner-up Kingscliff."

Kicking King meanwhile is into just 7/1 after it was confirmed he will run in the race after all.

The seven-year-old was initially ruled out of the event last week after failing to please trainer Tom Taaffe in a workout and scoping badly.

Following that news he was backed at 999/1 on leading exchange Betfair.

Coral odds: 9-2 Kingscliff, 5-1 Strong Flow, 11-2 Grey Abbey, Beef Or Salmon, 7-1 Kicking King, Rule Supreme, Celestial Gold, 14-1 Sir Rembrandt, 20-1 Pizarro, 25-1 Therealbandit, 33-1 Ollie Magern, Our Vic, 40-1 Take The Stand, Tiutchev, Trabolgan, 50-1 Bar

Hills odds: 7-2 Kingscliff, 11-2 Strong Flow, 13-2 Beef or Salmon, Celestial Gold, 7-1 Kicking King, Rule Supreme, 9-1 Grey Abbey, 14-1 Sir Rembrandt, 25-1 Pizarro, 33-1 Ollie Magern, 40-1 Our Vic, Therealbandit, 66-1 Calling Brave, Heros Collonges, Royal Auclair, Take The Stand, 100-1 Ballycassidy, Irish Hussar, Tiuchev, Trabolgan, Truckerns Tavern, Venn Ottery, 200-1 Turnium, 250-1 Astonville, Solaris, 500-1 Present Bleu

Ladbrokes odds: 7-2 (from 9-2) Kingscliff, 9-2 (from 7) Strong Flow, 5 (from 8) Beef Or Salmon, 6 Celestial Gold, 6 (from 10) Kicking King, 8 Grey Abbey, 8 (from 10) Rule Supreme, 14 Sir Rembrandt, 16 Pizarro, 33 Our Vic, 33 Therealbandit, 40 Ollie Magern, 50 Take The Stand, 50 Tiutchev, 50 Trucker's Tavern, 66 Calling Brave, 66 Heros Collonges, 66 Royal Auclair, 66 Trabolgan, 100 Irish Hussar, 100 Venn Ottery, 500 Solarius, 500 Astonville, 500 Present Bleu, 500 Turnium

Tote odds: 7-2 (from 5) Kingscliff, 9-2 (from 7) Strong Flow, 5 (from 7) Beef Or Salmon 6 (from 8) Kicking King, 6 (from 9) Celestial Gold, 7 (from 9) Rule Supreme, 8 (from 9) Grey Abbey, 16 (from 20) Sir Rembrandt, 20 (from 25) Ollie Magern, 20 (from 25) Pizarro, 20 (from 25) Therealbandit, 25 (from 33) Our Vic, 33 (from 40) Heros Collonges, 33 (from 100) Trabolgan, 40 (from 50) Calling Brave, 40 (from 50) Irish Hussar,, 40 (from 66) Royal Auclair, 40 (from 66) Tiutchev, 50 (from 66) Take The Stand, 66 (from 100) Truckers Tavern, 100 Ballycassidy, Venn Ottery, 200 AstonVille, Solarius, 250 Present